Golden and crunchy pan-fried fritters are a popular family favourite at HelloFresh. When cooked correctly, they are a delicious way to sneak in veggies for fussy eaters, and can be as light or as filling as you want them to be.While traditional fritters are made with egg, milk, flour and your choice of veggies (zucchini, carrots, corn and sweet potato are some of the most popular), they can also be dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free.
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Here are our top tips for cooking the perfect fritter, straight from our impressive HelloFresh culinary team.
Ingredients do’s and don’ts
- Choose your eggs wisely! The eggs you use need to be small and cold. Larger eggs have more water from the egg white, resulting in wetter batter and soggy fritters. The reason you want a cold egg is because cold liquid helps to slow the development of gluten when liquid and flour are added together, which makes for a better texture!
- Add flour to your wet batter! Most veggies have a high water content (which we know equals soggy fritters). But don’t stress! Adding flour to a wetter batter will give you the thick consistency need to make the perfect batter.
- Add crumbled stock cubes for a flavourful kick! Add as much as you like (or none at all), depending on the intensity of flavour that you want.
Batter up!
A common problem with fritters is that they’re just too soggy! And no one wants that. Raise your batter game by using these tips…
- Salt your grated vegetables for 20-30 minutes prior to draw more water out of the veggies
- Drain the liquid from your grated vegetables. We recommend using a clean chux, kitchen paper or muslin, and don’t be scared to squeeze firmly! You’ll be surprised how much liquid comes out.
- Gently mix the batters! Over-mixing develops the gluten in the flour, which results in a less desirable textures.
- Place the batter in the fridge to rest before cooking. This will let the gluten in the batter relax, making for a nicer texture once cooked.
Cooking 101
- Don’t be scared of oil. Make sure you add enough to the pan, as it will help to give crispiness, good colour and delicious flavour to the fritters.
- Fire it up! Your pan needs to be properly heated up before cooking. If the fritter doesn’t sizzle when it hits the pan, you know it’s not hot enough!
- Don’t overcrowd the pan, as this causes the temperature of the pan to drop, resulting in floppy, undercooked fritters.
Some of our customer’s favourite recipes!
Golden Courgette, Carrot and Cheddar Fritters
Sweet Chilli Fritters & Haloumi Stack
FAQs
Add flour to your wet batter! Most veggies have a high water content (which we know equals soggy fritters). But don't stress! Adding flour to a wetter batter will give you the thick consistency need to make the perfect batter.
How to stop fritters falling apart? ›
If your zucchini fritters are falling apart, it's likely because the fritters are sticking to the skillet or the batter was too wet. Getting the zucchini dry before preparing the batter so the binding agents can hold the fritter together. If you have a non-stick frying pan, opt for that as well.
Is baking soda or powder better for fritters? ›
Ingredients You'll Need
- Flour – All purpose. ...
- Sugar – Granulated sugar. ...
- Salt – To taste.
- Baking powder – Don't use baking soda as it will give off an aftertaste.
- Corn – Fresh, frozen, or canned and drained.
- Eggs – I used large eggs.
- Cream – Half half half cream, which is 10%MF. ...
- Oil – For frying, I used canola oil.
The most common causes for soggy fritters are too much batter (basic flour and egg batter like used in pancakes will never cook up crispy), and whatever you're frittering leeches too much water when cooking.
Why are my fritters tough? ›
If it is soggy, heavy or tough, then you made have made the batter too thick or overfilled the tin.
What can I use to bind fritters instead of egg? ›
16 egg substitutes
- Mashed banana. Mashed banana can act as a binding agent when baking or making pancake batter. ...
- Applesauce. Applesauce can also act as a binding agent. ...
- Fruit puree. Fruit puree will help bind a recipe in a similar way to applesauce. ...
- Avocado. ...
- Gelatin. ...
- Xanthan gum. ...
- Vegetable oil and baking powder. ...
- Margarine.
Because fritters need to maintain their form and not run when they hit the oil, your batter should be sturdy and thick, more like paste than Elmer's glue. It's the mortar that holds your ingredients together.
How do you make fritters less soggy? ›
The most common reason that fritters get soggy is due to cooking them in oil that isn't hot enough. So first make sure that you use just enough oil to cover the surface of your skillet. Then wait until the oil is hot before you add the batter.
Which will create the crispiest batter for frying? ›
Use Cornstarch or Rice Flour
Michael says that cornstarch or rice flour in combo with flour will give you the crunchiest batter. Even cake four will cook up crunchier than all-purpose flour because it doesn't have a high gluten level.
How wet should fritters be? ›
We want moist insides but not soggy and certainly not dry. Though if I had to choose from the lessor of two evils, I'd take dry over soggy insides – because at least I could douse them in inordinate amounts of yogurt or sour cream to make them palatable. However, soggy insides I cannot bear and they can't be salvaged.
If the fritters feel raw and doughy on the inside there could be two possible reasons. One is that the oil is just too hot, causing the outside to brown too quickly. You may find that you need to reduce the heat under the pan during cooking.
Can I use cornstarch instead of flour for fritters? ›
You can also use cornstarch/cornflour, or tapioca flour, instead. Of course, you can certainly just use all-purpose flour, but the fritters will not be as crispy.
Why are my corn fritters falling apart? ›
Don't stack them on each other, as they will likely steam and soften. Why are my corn fritters falling apart? If using frozen or canned corn, drain well to eliminate excess moisture.
Why are my apple fritters falling apart? ›
To ensure your apple fritters don't break apart once they hit the oil, it needs to be hot enough (375 degrees is the optimal temperature). If you can't get enough cinnamon, add cinnamon to the powdered sugar topping. For added flavor, add a pinch of ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and/or apple pie spice.
Why is my pancake batter falling apart? ›
If your batter has too much liquid, it won't have enough structure to hold together during cooking and will run all over the pan when flipped. You can address this by simply adding more flour to your batter. The second potential mistake is that you are not waiting long enough to flip your pancakes.
